In 1922 Dr Arthur Wakefield, a general practitioner from Cumbria, reached the North Col of Mt Everest at 23,000 feet as a member of the first British team to attempt the summit. As well as being a climber, he provided medical care to his comrades, who included George Leigh Mallory and George Finch. Yet, in their accounts of the expedition, several climbers portrayed him as a nervous old man and a “complete passenger”. However, his letters home and a small daily diary suggest he was a wise and caring physician. His motivation for joining this expedition at the age of 46 was somewhat different from that of his companions.
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References
1.
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2.
WakefieldAWAn adventure in the Rocky Mountains. Fell and Rock Journal1909;1:209–30.
3.
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Confidential letter to Arthur Hinks, Secretary to the Everest Expedition Planning Committee, from General Charles Bruce, 4 July 1922. E.A. R.G.S., Box 18. Quoted by HoltzelTSalkeldA (op. cit. ref. 3): p. 125.
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YounghusbandF. Introduction. In: BruceCGThe Assault on Everest. London: Edward Arnold, 1923.
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35.
Audrey Salkeld made these remarks to the author in a personal e-mail, responding to his comments that his uncle, Dr Wakefield, had not received recognition for his contribution and that other climbers made unwarranted negative comments, as quoted by HoltzelTSalkeldA (op. cit. ref. 3).
36.
The Archivist for the Fell and Rock Club has reported that the Club's war memorial takes the form of a bronze plaque mounted at the summit of Great Gable. The erection of this plaque together with the gift to the National Trust of over 3000 acres of land in the Lake District was the first major project the Club undertook. The unveiling of the war memorial took place on 8 June 1924 and was performed by Dr Wakefield, who was the Club's President at the time. A full description of that event was printed in an article in the Fell and Rock Club Journal, no. 18, p. 365. There is also a very detailed article about the events leading up to the unveiling in the Journal, no. 69, p. 41. The only photograph of the event is very much out of focus.
